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Supplier says Jeep Cherokee hack only affects FCA cars

Harman doesn't think that drivers need to worry about any further hacks of its products. The company supplies FCA's Uconnect infotainment system where a software vulnerability is responsible for a 1.4-million vehicle recall. "This experimental hack is unique to Chrysler," Harman CEO Dinesh Paliwal said to Automotive News. "This does not exist, to our assessment, in any other vehicle." The reason that the company wouldn't be involved is that automakers aren't simply plugging in the existing infotainment systems into new vehicles. According to Paliwal, Harman supplies the unit, but FCA and other automakers are able to make additional modifications for their vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has also recently taken up the question of broader software vulnerabilities in Harman's products. On July 29, the agency began investigating the company to check for similarities between Uconnect and the infotainment systems supplied to other automakers. The Jeep hack became national news when two researchers were remotely able to take control of a Cherokee. The vulnerability in the cellular connection even gave control over the brakes. "Once people get in the car and get into the CAN bus, then you can start to mimic and mess up many, many things in the car," Paliwal said to Automotive News. Politicians immediately responded with legislation to create federal standards in hopes of protecting drivers better. NHTSA also opened an investigation to make sure the automaker's software update actually solved the problem. Related Video:

Texas student drives Barbie Jeep to school after DWI

A Texas college student who lost her license when she was charged with a DWI this spring found a creative way of getting around campus. Tara Monroe, 20, is a student at the University of Texas at Austin. She had her driver's license automatically suspended when she refused a breathalyzer test after leaving a Waka Flocka concert on March 4. He dad took her car away and left her with a bike. But that just wasn't classy enough for Monroe. "Riding a bike around campus sucks," she told MySA.com. "Like really sucks." She searched Craigslist to find an alternative and settled on a bright pink Fisher-Price Barbie Jeep Power Wheel toy to help lug her stuff around campus. She named it after the original owner, a little girl named Charlene. The unorthodox ride has turned Monroe into a minor celebrity. Pictures of her slowly making her way around campus in the toy car have been popping up on social media. "This is the best way I could have gotten my 15 minutes of fame," she said. "Basically, it was the best decision I've made in college, yet..." The Barbie Jeep has a 12-volt battery and only goes about five miles per hour. Monroe says she loves the attention she is getting from her immature hijinks. If you enjoy the sight of adults crammed into Power Wheels check out our attempt to cruise around the Autoblog office in a tike-sized Ford F-150. News Source: mySA.com Humor Weird Car News Jeep Driving Electric Videos college power wheels student barbie

Alfa Romeo will gain a Jeep Compass-based SUV

It was reported earlier this week that FCA would invest into its Italian factories to ramp up production at currently underutilized locations. Those plans have now been clarified with official information from FCA, as reported by Automotive News. The entire investment is worth $5.7 billion. First of all, Alfa Romeo will gain a new compact SUV based on the Jeep Compass architecture. The still-unnamed model will be available as a plug-in hybrid, and it will be built in Pomigliano, Italy. No U.S. availability has yet been announced, but it would not be odd to see the Compass-based model sold below the Stelvio in the States. The last time Alfa Romeo had anything similar in its model portfolio was when it offered Crosswagon-badged four-wheel-drive versions of the 156 and 159 wagons. As for the Jeep Compass itself, it will begin to be built at the Melfi plant in Italy. The rumored small "baby" Jeep slotting under the Renegade has not yet been officially mentioned. Fiat will introduce a battery electric 500, built in Turin, and the Pomigliano plant that will make the compact Alfa Romeo SUV will also be used to build a mild hybrid version of the Panda city car. The 500X will gain a PHEV variant. The Stelvio platform will also spawn a corresponding SUV for Maserati, and FCA also mentioned Maserati will introduce a new, unnamed model it will make in Modena. Automotive News quotes Italian press as saying this will be the Alfieri coupe and convertible, also offered as battery electric versions. Related Video: